Embers

Embers are a bioengineered bipedal humanoid species, more specifically a subspecies of Tatya hini (elf) that can control and manipulate energy through the presence of electric bacteria and advanced, ancient nanomachines within their bodies. The other inhabitants of Jord recognize this ability as magic. Their power in its raw form tends to manifest in appearance as blue fire. They exist in opposition to the Aphotic species.

History

The First Children created the Ember and Aphotic species as a solution to the problem caused by unrestricted use of The Word by the Tatya hini. Both species are a method of balancing the planetary power system of Jord. The Embers are meant to create and transfer energy back into the Word and purge unclean energy from the system. While the Aphotics, are meant to seek out and destroy beings that drain too much power from the Word to protect Jord from the beings living on it.

The Embers were introduced into the Jord ecosystem where they interbred with the elven bloodlines for over 1000 years before humans were transplanted onto the planet. Once again, the Embers interbred with the new species and strengthened their genetic profile with the combination of both human and elven DNA. The species flourished until 1800 years later when the humans formed The Church of the Holy Sword and went on a genocidal campaign against the Embers effectively interrupting their evolutionary cycle.

The Church of the Holy Sword managed to gather a majority of the Ember population and forced them into isolation and re-educated them. They subjugated the adult Embers that they left alive and stripped them of their power to form the upper leadership of the Order of the Resplendent Mother and the Brotherhood of the Flemen under the strict supervision and controls. Any Embers that did not comply were tortured and murdered. In addition, the Church separated the male and female Embers, and seeing the males as a higher threat potential- they killed male Embers in high numbers, only letting 1 or 2 per monastery live in isolation. The ones that were allowed to survive used the Order and the Brotherhood to locate and teach newly discovered Embers how to use their powers in a way that would benefit the Church. The rigid dogma that was manufactured for the benefit of the Church is meant to keep the Ember population low, the females are taught that chastity is the only way to keep their powers and that leaving the convent results in death. As a result of this cleansing, Embers within the Jord population is a heavily recessive trait that is more common among females. Male Embers are far rarer to occur but their inherent nature is the removal of unclean energy from the system while the females inherent nature is transference.

The Church has been using mages within its order for the past 200 years to direct female Embers as “spirit guides” to monitor and control their actions. The directives mostly being the eradication of Aphotics, continued chastity, ritual suicide when the absorbed corruption is too great and in rarer instances, assassination of a political target to re-emphasis the need to control magic users and maintain the walls. The Church has found male Embers harder to control in this fashion and will usually eliminate them if he seems too rebellious. In the past 60 years, male Embers have managed to slip beneath the notice of the Church and have been existing in fringe tribes and towns.

Diet

Embers like most regular humanoids are omnivorous but have a high metabolism that makes them crave carbohydrates and consume at least 9000 calories a day.

Environment

Embers prefer arctic regions and environments that have temperatures below 65°F (18°C). Offworlder Ember ships are uncomfortable places for non-Embers to live on due to the ambient temperature being around 50°F (10°C). Any Embers that live in warmer temperatures must seek out ways to cool themselves off or wear containment suits or risk overheating.

Life Cycle

Embers are drawn to one another. They can sense each other over long distances and on deeper spiritual level, yearn for each other that goes deeper than instinct. The genetic trait is recessive and more prevalent in females with a population ratio of 20 to 1, making male Embers rare and the breeding instinct to not take a single partner crucial for the survival of the species. As a female Ember reaches sexual maturity her powers will start to evolve but will not fully change until she “awakens”, or engages in a breeding cycle triggered by an increase in hormones. The denial of this awakening suppresses a female Ember's life cycle and reduces her natural life expectancy to about 23, when her fire will burn itself out. Barring no unforeseen circumstances, an awakened female Ember can live to 60 years while a male Ember can live to 70 years.

Their instinct is subverted by the dogma imposed on them or used to locate other Embers by the Church of the Holy Sword.

More on Awakening

Embers need one another to fully unlock all of their body's abilities. This need has been oddly interpreted by the Church of the Holy Sword to be sexual to more easily suppress the species from reproducing but it is something on a deeper level. They need the shared uncorrupted energy of another Ember or person for their internal limiters to be turned off. This is an extension of their ability to transfer energy between people and things. This is different than the absorption of corrupted energy as it will not make them sick or eventually kill them. Energy can be passed and absorbed between Embers to trigger awakening through something as simple as a kiss but the people involved have to open their energy, bear their souls, as it were to another person for an awakening can occur. Simply touching or kissing another isn't enough to trigger an awakening neither is sexual contact (but that's how it's viewed as happening).

Death

All things must die, and Embers are no exception. When their fire burns out, their physical shells will die and their energy will return to the system, their bodies will grow cold to the touch and the blue hues of their eyes will fade to their eye color at birth. They can withstand the cold temperatures beyond freezing but will die if exposed to heat for long periods of time. Oddly enough, an Ember can walk into a bonfire and survive because they can absorb the energy from the fire or shield themselves from it to avoid harm. And Ember can die if they use their powers too much without rest or recharge and if they absorb too much energy too quickly (more common in offworlders).

When an Ember dies from physical trauma they can't heal, their cells will rapidly burn up, effectively reducing the Ember's body to ash.

Physiology

Even though Embers are a subspecies of Tatya Hini they lack the characteristics that make them readily identifiable as an Elf. Their appearance makes them indistinguishable from a human until their powers manifest, which can occur between early childhood through their late teens. They generate higher body temperatures which makes them prone to overheating if they are continually exposed to temperatures above 70°F (21°C) or are engaged in physical activity in temperatures above 60°F (16°C). They become immune to the cold and start the instinctive routine of rising before dawn and bathing in frigid waters to purify their souls, but it is really to drastically lower their body temperatures to prevent from overheating.

Embers have the physical features typical of a human with a variety of skin tones and hair colors. The tend to originate from the colder regions of the Jord and of sturdier remote arctic region genetic stock that finds it easy to put on muscle. Their high internal temperatures and a high metabolisms make it harder for an Ember to put on body fat and frequently hungry.

Eyes

Their eyes start as any color but shift to a hue of glowing blue that envelops their entire eye, including their sclera once their powers start to manifest. Even an Ember that has been stripped of their power will retain the blue glow to their eyes, though it will be a dimmer light.

Ears

Their ears are human shaped and will always resemble that of a human, even if the Ember has a parent that is a Elf. They have hearing equal to that of a human. Round ears on an infant born to elven parents is a telltale sign that the child is an Ember even before the powers develop.

Reproduction

Embers are sexually dimorphic as typical in most mammalian humanoids. Their reproductive cycle functions on a 3 month ovulation cycle with peak fertility at the midpoint of the cycle followed by a 9 month pregnancy. Female Embers are capable of producing viable offspring with most humanoid species capable of fertilizing a female's eggs with sperm, provided that the species' reproductive cells can withstand the internal temperatures of an Ember. Females are capable of producing offspring at 16 years until about they are 50 years old. Male Embers are more capable of producing hybrid offspring with any humanoid species where sperm can fertilize an egg, starting at the onset of puberty until about 65 years old. Hybrid children have a 20% chance of gaining the abilities typical to an Ember if the mother is the Ember while there is 10% chance if the father is the Ember. Embers will always produce children with Ember abilities with other Embers. An Ember born of a hybrid union or emerging from a weaker bloodline will always look human (on Jord) save for the glow of their eyes when their powers develop.

Abilities

Their on world abilities manifest as a form of magical fire. When an Ember absorbs corrupted energy it marks them (see Corruption of an Ember) and eventually will make them sick with the ultimate corruption of turning them into an Aphotic. In essence, they can absorb, manipulate and generate energy.

Transference of energy: They can pull the spiritual energy of a place or person into themselves. How much energy they can contain varies on experience but if an Ember tries to draw in too much, it can actually kill them. Drawing in too much corrupted energy results in the corruption of the Ember and the birth of Aphotics. On a minor scale, they can also share this energy with another person to warm them or heal them. In theory, they could kill someone by drawing too much energy from them. This ability is mostly seen in female Embers.

Energy Displacement: They can project their energy around them in the form of “fire”. This fire can behave like normal fire or it could be used like a shield. An Ember displacing too much energy can lead to the Ember dying.

Exorcism: Force energy from a location or thing back into the system.

Reaping: Destruction of corrupted energy from the system, only a fully awakened female Ember or a male Ember can reap.

Rapid Cellular regrowth: They can regenerate damaged cells quickly. They cannot regrow limbs once they are severed.

Corruption of an Ember

The absorption of corrupted energy by an Ember leaves a mark on the Ember's body and soul. It manifests as bruises and scars on the Ember's body and as tendrils of darkness that mar the light that is their spiritual energy. As an Ember absorbs too much corrupted energy it makes them mentally unbalanced and smothers their light, turning them into Aphotics. Only a male Ember or an awakened female Ember can cleanse the corruption of Ember before she turns into an aphotic otherwise, the Ember has been taught to commit ritual suicide.

“Here, it is easier to show you what you are sensing.” With a fluid motion of fluttering fabric, the woman was out of her lambskin jacket and linen shirt; unabashedly exposed as she showed Kamon the physical effects of absorbing demons. Her skin was mottled with deepening hand shaped bruises on her shoulders; her forearms raw from fresh claw marks; and the rest of her body bore a myriad of scars, in particular was a long scar that ran from her collar bone to her naval.

All of the love and compassion in her heart could not erase the constant physical pain but she wore a smile and a willing demeanor despite her physical distress, only her voice betrayed her affliction. “I appreciate any help you are willing to offer. I cannot destroy these demons, I can only absorb them…”

Unnur pulled a small copper hilted dagger from her boot sheath and offered it to the exorcist. The hilt was covered in a black patina that accentuated the curves of the Goddess of Mercy that it was fashioned after. The blade itself was well oiled and sharpened steel. The gloom that encroached upon her trembled at the appearance of the sacrificial dagger, the significance of the foci was not lost on the demons. The dagger was alight with the pulsing fire of Unnur's power as she opened herself to Kamon.

She wanted the male Ember to truly see her. The female Ember's spiritual body was pure, untainted, irradiating warmth but tendrils of darkness encircled her arms and hung heavily in chains around her neck. “I…was told that my virtue prevents me from destruction… I have not learned to create life so I am unable to destroy it.”

Depowering an Ember

The Church of the Holy Sword has discovered that they can sever an Ember's ability to use their energy but still enable them to be used as a power source by implanting Maraium grounding devices in their limbs and regularly injecting them with an Maraium particulate that interrupts their power flow. Embers that have been depowered still naturally absorb energy but cannot project it beyond their bodies, effectively making them a living power cell and shortens their life span.

Culture

Embers are deeply religious and attribute their energy abilities and their connection to The Word to being blessed by their matron goddess, Saule. They revere all of the old Gods with great reverence but Saule is the goddess they hold above others as she is the sun goddess. They ritualistically wake before dawn and cleanse their bodies in the coldest water they can find, preferring icy rivers, waterfalls and other naturally occurring bodies of water but will settle for a cold shower, to wash away the influence of the night and welcome Saule's light with the coming of dawn.

“Brother, what does it mean to be an Ember?” Unnur's voice trailed like a chime on the wind, fragile and resonating in harmony with the breeze. She looked at her brother with a growing fire building, a blue light threatened to overwhelm the white within her dark eyes.

“You are special, my little one,” Hrafn said after a long moment of silence. “It means that Saule's power burns within you; that you are meant to be the light… to hold back the darkness.” He could not bear to speak of what holding that power truly meant for his little sister, her life was to be lived in isolation in a convent to be contained or to be spent wandering Jord, fighting demons until she was consumed. It was considered more a curse than a blessing to be marked by the magic.

“But… why do I have to leave? If I am special, why are you sending me away? Can't I stay here with you and Janna? I wanted to be here when the baby came,” Unnur frowned, the light in her eyes faltered as her mood shifted.

Hrafn bit his lower lip as he pulled his little sister into a tight embrace. Unnur closed her eyes and settled into the warmth of her brother's body. “It is the way… I don't want to send you away- it is the last thing that I would ever wish for you, Unnur. The Order trains Embers to harness and control the powers they have been blessed with; a fire that burns wildly destroys everything in its path until there is nothing left to burn, but a fire that is properly tended provides warmth, creates and very carefully destroys.”

“Janna needs my help, the Order can teach me here.” The blue light that started to overwhelm the honey brown of her eyes intensified with her conviction.

“No, Unnur, you can only be properly trained at the Temple with the Radiant Sisters,” he fought the growing despair in his heart as he continued to hug his sister tightly. “Being an Ember is an honor and a great responsibility, you will go out into the world beyond our mountains, far beyond the reach of the skylights to help give hope to those that have forgotten the voice of Saule and the other Gods.

Female Embers

The female Embers are identified as their powers emerge and are separated from their birth families to be raised in isolation in convents by the Order of the Resplendent Mother to live in quiet, chaste, religious contemplation until they are sent out into the world to destroy an Aphotic. To leave a convent on a mission is known to be a death sentence but it is considered the highest honor an Ember can receive- to die in service to the Resplendent Mother.
Young Embers are taught the following things:

Your virtue is the key to your power. To break your vow of chastity is to break your bond to Saule.

To leave the convent is to accept that Saule will call you home when the quest is over.

The way to heal those corrupted by an Aphotic is to take on their pain, anguish and contain it within yourself. To do anything else will allow that corruption into the world to harm another.

When the burden of the cleansed Aphotics is too great, the Ember must give her life to Mara's mercy to contain the corruption or risk becoming an Aphotic.

Aphotics are the corruption of all that is good in the world.

Only male Embers can cleanse a corrupted female Ember. But their fires will consume all that a female Ember is and leave nothing but ash.

Male Embers

Male Embers are identified as their powers emerge and are separated from their birth families to be raised in isolation in monasteries by the Brotherhood of the Flamen Saularis to live in quiet, chaste, religious contemplation until they are sent out into the world to destroy an Aphotic. They are rarer than females of their species due both the lower occurrence in the gene in males and that the Church of the Holy Sword selectively culling the ones that they find. Male Embers embrace the more destructive side of their powers, favoring the destruction of corrupted energy rather than the absorption of it. They have familiars that are an spiritual extension of their abilities.

Awakened Embers

Embers that have overcome the lies of the Church of the Holy Sword and have fully realized the full extent of their powers are called “Awakened Embers”. There are fewer Embers that have realized the truth because the Church kills them once they have awakened. If they escape the reach of the Church they realize these truths:

The spirit guides are a method of control, they are the manifestations of other mages of The Church of the Holy Sword meant to suppress Embers.

The Church of the Holy Sword seeks to eliminate the Ember species by interrupting the breeding cycle, brainwashing and controlling them and murdering any that seek liberation.

There are no limits to how an Ember can use their power.

Saule means for Embers to balance the world's energy and expand beyond the walls to heal the world.

Saule and the Gods are real. They are among the stars, we have only to find them.

The fastest way to replenish the Ember species is to take partners.

Acceptance can burn away the darkness clinging to one's soul.

Offworld Embers

Removed beyond the reach of the Church of the Holy Sword by alien intervention or having somehow escaped its influence, these Embers seek out the Gods among the stars. They are explorers but they known to fight for causes that they feel are favored by Saule, seeking to restore Saule's light to the universe by fighting corruption and evil where they find it. Their populations are scattered as they were on Jord but they seek each other out to form new tribes and ships as they wander the stars. Many offworld Embers have not yet awakened and believe that they will lose their powers if they do not lead a chaste lifestyle. They see evil deeds as a manifestations of Aphotics and will take on that corrupted energy to remove it from the universe.

Taboos

Do not use Saule's light to steal the life of another living being.

To lose Saule's light is to lose your life, use it sparingly and only when necessary.

Do not let an Aphotic roam free.

Do not touch another being's bare skin, you will steal their life.

Clothing

Embers prefer to wear little to no clothing when they can help it. Their high internal temperatures makes them prone to overheat if they are wearing too much clothing but if required to blend in to other cultures they will suffer through wearing what amount of clothing is appropriate and what will allow them the option that will keep them the coolest. Offworlder Embers live in special containment suits that regulate their body temperature and wear technology in the form of jewelry that acts as external power cells and energy regulators.

Food

Tend to favor foods that are raw or minimally cooked. They avoid hot soups and drinks as it raises their internal body temperature.

Language

Favor Icelandic and German. They speak Trade (English) when interacting with people from other regions.

Naming

Embers from Hvetentra, Jord (North pole) tend to favor Icelandic/Nordic names while Embers from the South pole favor Frisian/Germanic names. They generally do not have family names, though off-worlder Embers tend to claim their ship's name as a surname to help unify their tribal identity.

Politics

Embers are scattered across their homeworld, Jord, but are largely concentrated in the Northern (Hvetentra) and Southern most polar regions behind large border walls that keep these cold weather magic users from moving into the Lands more heavily controlled by the Church of the Holy Sword. Embers are identified in the tribal populations at a young age by tribe oracles and then sent to convents and monasteries to be raised in isolation from the general populations. As wielders of Saule's holy fire, the tribes Embers originate from revere them as guardians and instruments of the Sun Goddess's will. Offworlder Embers adopt new tribes in the form of ship crews and generally operate free of the controls of The Church of the Holy Sword though the religious teachings of the Church are still too heavily ingrained in their cultural psyche for them to fully overcome.

The Order of the Resplendent Mother

The Order was created by the Church of the Holy Sword as a method to control new Embers and their usage on Jord. There are a handful of approved convents throughout Jord that are difficult to reach. The nuns that run the Order and that train Embers, the Radiant sisters or Helka, consist of Embers that the Church has stripped of their powers. They seek out women identified by Oracles to pull into their secure walls. Males are sent to live with the Brotherhood of the Flamen Saularis.

Brotherhood of the Flamen Saularis

An order of male mages serving the Brotherhood that worships Saule; as a title “Flamen”. This order rarely trains male Embers but their monasteries are where they would be sent when they are found.

Technology

Embers can use their abilities to power inert technology. Contact with their skin can short out working technology unless they are functioning as the power source or are wearing something that grounds them, for this reason, Ember ships are heavily insulated and Embers wear special containment suits when they are outside of Jord's colder regions and their ships.

Embers' physiology generates higher body temperatures which makes them prone to overheating if they are continually exposed to temperatures above 70°F (21°C) or are engaged in physical activity in temperatures above 60°F (16°C). To combat this, Embers working with The Second Children created Ijoma Suits that provide continual cooling of their body through a liquid cooling and an ion exchange system; allowing the regulation of their body temperature, energy output and allows them to absorb, store and utilize excess energy in external power cells built into the suit. The suit also allows an easier interfacing with Ember-centric ships and vehicles with connection ports in their shoulders, center of chest, and at their hips for optimal energy output. The containment suits also feature a helmet and respirator to allow for the suit to function as a environmental protection suit for use in hazardous environments or oxygen depleted environments or conditions.

Their offworld technology utilizes Embers as the power source with additional energy cells to absorb, store and utilize additional energy. Their ships have an energy absorption grid built into the skin of the hull to collect energy directed at the ship from energy weapons and radiation that can be later used to power the ship's systems, weapons and energize the Embers within. Depending on how large the auxiliary power cells are will determine how much direct fired energy at the ship can be absorbed before the ship has to start deflecting the energy with partial repulsion fields that bleed off the excess energy so the ship's energy cells don't overload.